The Rough Guide to the Music of Afghanistan (World Music Network RGNET1237CD, 2010) Despite the five years in Afghanistan (1996 to 2001) when music was…
Banned Stand
Category: Album reviews
Mounqaliba
Natacha Atlas Mounqaliba, In a State of Reversal (Six Degrees 657036 1170 2 0, 2010) Natacha Atlas has given us memorable world music recordings, ranging…
You Play It Slow, They Won’t Dance
Various Artists Shangaan Electro: New Wave Dance Music from South Africa (Honest Jon’s Records HJR 052CD, 2010) There are many interesting things happening musically in…
Connected
Cas Haley Connection (Easy Star Records ES-1022, 2010) I’m not a fan of America’s Got Talent and so I missed Cas Haley’s appearance on the…
No Son Without Cuban Rumba
Septeto Nacional ¡Sin Rumba No Hay Son! (World village 468105, 2010) One of the great traditions in Cuban music are its long lasting bands. The…
Psychedelic Nigeria
The World Ends: Afro Rock & Psychedelia in 1970s Nigeria (Soundway Records, 2009) An electric music revolution took place in 1970s Nigeria. The sounds of…
High Quality Lo Jamm
Cheikh Lo Jamm (World Circuit DO84, 2010) Senegal’s Cheikh Lo, he of the long dreadlocks, multicolored quilt-like attire and Sufi spirituality, stands out even among…
Unforgettable Rahman Connections
A. R. Rahman Connections (Wrasse Records WRASS265, 2010) The great Indian composer A. R. Rahman handpicked the pieces included in his new album Connections, which…
Balkan Brass by the Bay
Brass Menazeri Vranjski San (Porto Franco Records PFR018, 2010) You never quite know how it’s going to turn out when a style of music closely…
Afro-Latin Safe Haven
Mukele Quylombo (Chana Records, 2009) Quylombo is the second release by Argentine guitarist and vocalist Mukele. The Buenos Aires native is at the forefront of…